I love shocking people in the exam chair. And a sure fire way to do it is to tell a lifelong nearsighted person they got better. They never believe me until I tell them why and how they got better. You see nearsighted people hate going to the eye doctor because it is almost a guarantee that they are going to get the bad news of “you got worse” or “we need to add some more power to your contacts”. I have good news for all you young nearsighted people. It eventually gets better. Women in their early thirties and men in their late thirties will virtually always get a little less nearsighted. The reason is because the lens inside your eye continues to grow from the time you are born til the time you die. It has new cells laid around it like an onion every year. And around mid 30′s the increased thickness of the lens leads to a farsighted shift in vision. So if you are nearsighted you become less nearsighted but if you are farsighted you become more farsighted.

"I can't believe my vision got better!!! I thought it only continued to get worse"

From computer monitors to iPads, tablets and phones, it is not unusual for many of us to spend most of the day reading digital screens. But staring at them for hours every day can cause significant eye strain, blurry vision, headaches, burning or watery eyes.

Individual vision problems and poor office ergonomics contribute to the rise in eyesight trouble, and as computer use duration increases, so do the symptoms.

Yesterday's rain inspired this blog. Everyone was walking around Pier Park with fogged up eyeglasses. Why do glasses fog?

Fog is a water vapor which is condensed into tiny droplets lying close to a surface, like lenses in glasses, which limits visibility. Most of the time, eyeglasses become foggy when you move from a cold to a hot environment. For us Floridians, this typically happens when we move from the cold AC inside to the warm and humid outside environment.At the end of 2011, Essilor came out with a new product, “Optifog”. How does it work? The lenses have a unique fog repellent property that is enhanced with a specific concentrate called the “Optifog Activator”. Each week, you apply this activator to the lenses. This will repel all the tiny water droplets off the lenses resulting in a pair of truly fog-free lenses. This will decrease distortion, blur, and contrast lost from the fog.If you’ve been frustrated by foggy lenses, we would recommend the addition of Optifog technology to your next pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses. Come by Academy of Eye Care and ask about it today!

Tired of fishing reading glasses out of your purse to read a menu or your phone? You’re not alone! If you’re too young to look old, you might consider one of the newer alternatives to the traditional lack of focus as we age. Dr. McQuivey, our optometrist, fits many happy patients with contact lenses that help correct your need to read.Monovision is one option, where one eye is fit for distance vision, while the other will correct your near sight. The brain adjusts to this new way of seeing the world, and many patients are very comfortable with this arrangement.There are also new multifocal contact lenses available, which use a different method for allowing clear sight far away and up close.Call us today at 850-769-1404 to set up an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam, where the health of the eye will be assessed as well as your need for correction.

Gone are the days when athletes with mild prescriptions would just take off their glasses and play. Proper vision enhances competitive edge by improving hand-eye coordination not to mention being able to see what you are doing!

Protective sports eye wear is not just important for those needing vision correction. 600,000 sports-related eye injuries are documented every year in the US, according to the Public Health Association. Wearing proper eye protection is critical to reducing the risk of sports related eye injuries that could be devastating to vision. Be proactive and protect yourself and your little athletes with sports vision wear!